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Arrest made in Hooker animal cruelty case

HOOKER — The Texas County Sheriff’s Department has made an arrest in a May 5 cockfighting incident near Hooker.Tommy Ray Pollock, 64, of Hooker, was booked into the Texas County Detention Center in Guymon on Monday, charged with four counts related to cockfighting.Animal Control Officer Benji Fuentes responded to a 911 call of illegal cockfighting at an address on Mile 44, two miles west of Hooker and assisted Hooker Police Officer David Witt.Witt arrived first and stated that upon his arrival, several subjects began running from a metal-framed barn on the property, owned by Juan Mesta, 47, of Guymon. Texas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Stanley Harper, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Brandon Bussey and Witt secured the scene and located three males, later identified Pollock, Martin Herrera, 42, of Ulysses, Kan., and Jeremy Blan Blan, 35, of Waka, Texas.Pollock told police he was the one conducting the cockfighting and participants were being charged $300 to enter three fighting roosters. Pollock said in the interview with police that four fights had taken place prior to police arrival.Herrera said he was contacted to be the referee and he saw no exchange of money. Blan said he had been contacted by Pollock to attend and that he had placed a $20 bet on one of the fights.Police contacted Mesta on May 6 and it was learned that he owned the property since 2000 and had constructed the cockfighting pen in the barn. Mesta also said that Pollock had contacted him about using the barn for a party, but was not told the particulars, although he “Figured out what would take place,” according to the Affidavit of Probable Cause filed Aug. 28.In the Affidavit, Fuentes said when he entered the area, he clearly saw a large pen made of wire and boards with a dirt floor. Inside the pen were scattered colored feathers and droppings of what appeared to be blood. Around the pen were single board bleachers for spectators.Outside that area were large cages built of wire and inside the cages were fighting roosters. Each rooster had poultry identification bands around its right lower leg.Throughout the barn were large wooden boxes with four or more small compartments. Inside each compartment were fighting roosters. Fuentes located five small opened boxes the size of a shoebox that contained paraphernalia used for cockfighting.Fuentes located two dead roosters in the northwest corner of the barn, one dead rooster in a 5-gallon bucket and two more dead roosters in a 50-gallon plastic barrel along the east wall.Police photographed the scene, including the dead animals, and confiscated all of the boxes and paraphernalia.Pollock is charged with violation of Oklahoma Statute 1692.2 — Instigating or Encouraging Cockfight; Statute 1692-3 — Keeping Place Equipment or Facilities for Fighting; Statute 1692-4 — Servicing or Facilitating Cockfight, and Statute 1692.5 — Owning, Possessing, Keeping or Training Board for Fighting.